funkyrobot

Great bantz tbf

I wouldn’t be surprised if the senior management team have even considered what will happen if we don’t achieve promotion this season so I thought maybe we should in do so in their absence. As it stands and unbelievable as it is to write this, our momentum and the momentum of our 3 rivals would suggest we could still be in The Championship next year. I’m not really sure of the financial status but I know our parachute payment will reduce by a further 10% and we’d be faced with another year of significantly reduced revenue and tighter FFP targets. From a squad perspective I wouldn’t expect us to be able to resign any of the players out of contract at the end of the season that we might want too. Out of the 9 players out of contract at the end of the season, the only realistic one we might be able to retain is Vardy. Players like Vestergaard, Ndidi, Fatawu, Doyle, Iheanacho and Akgun who would’ve potentially be offered terms will go to other top tier clubs or return from their loans. On top of that I would see us losing contracted players like KDH, Ricardo, Daka and Faes to adhere to FFP. There’s also players like Souttar, Soumare, Kristiansen and Thomas who don’t appear to have a future at the club that Enzo will need to ship out. A massive squad reengineering will need to be done on a limited budget and within a weaker pool of players. The inevitable reduction in squad quality with bring us closer to the rest of The Championship pack and make promotion more of a challenge than it is now. Really we need the lads to halt the momentum and start a winning run again now - and we need the teams around us to do the exact opposite, but with injuries and form this seems increasingly like wishful thinking.😬

If we don’t achieve promotion it will be due to a combination of poor defending, poor finishing, being on the end of some poor refereeing decisions, a raft of injuries, the early cancellation of a key loan player and the lack of activity in the January transfer window. That’s where you should be directing your ire. It won’t be due to Hamza Choudhury being made captain for a home league match against QPR. The decision to make Hamza captain out of the 11 players selected to start had absolutely no impact on the result yesterday.

Having seen both on the pitch I’d have to say I can understand why Maresca has perhaps selected Nelson. He does look the better footballer from a possession perspective. I was surprised when I first saw Coady run out for us considering his England past. He looks a bit awkward as a ball player and slower on the ball (and slower off it), though at times he can ping a pass. Maybe it’s just an aesthetic thing tbf. In saying that, Coady has the leadership and the knowledge of a seasoned professional and after another defeat it’s probably time for a more experienced approach against Sunderland. I’d start him on Tuesday.

Ricci P out until April

Hamza’s just not as good at the progressive part of the role as Ricardo. That’s just a fact. We’ve got to somehow find a way of stopping the rot knowing we are weaker at inverted fullback without Ricardo and weaker at number 8 without Ndidi.

For me, the most important part of the captain’s role on a Matchday is what he does on the pitch in terms of leading. The pre match stuff has no absolutely no impact or importance for the vast majority of fans. It’s a non issue for me. The issue Enzo needs to focus on is why the wheels have come off and that’s not got anything to do with asking Hamza to be captain after his drink driving conviction last week.

Strangely enough relegation threatened QPR had no moral issues playing Prison FC bound Ilias Chair against us. I have no problem with Hamza playing, with Ricardo out there’s no option. I wouldn’t’ve made him Captain purely from a vocal perspective, I would’ve gone with Winks who talks and directs more in a game.

Didn’t see an abysmal performance from him today. Yes he might’ve covered the wrong man for their first but Chair would’ve still scored anyway. He was outstanding against Bournemouth and I didn’t think he was the problem today.

Not even getting a replacement for Butch Casadei was a big oversight in January. Ndidi has a history of injuries and Dennis Praet is made of balsa wood. The addition of a new face just helps morale anyway. ALL of our rivals did it and all of their new signings have had a positive impact on their results. Our options on the right hand side of midfield, without Ndidi, Butch, Sicknote Den, Ricky P and even Alves is a player who Enzo signed as a RW and now doesn’t really trust in either position in Yunus.

That can’t be ours, the wheels are still on it!

That’s very harsh on Faes, he was the better of the 2 centre halves today.

Rarely trusts his own ability to go down the outside. He was up against a lumbering physical centre half of a fullback today but mainly shuffled the ball back inside and basically lost his battle. It didn’t help him that Justin was also having his own personal nightmare behind him. I felt sorry for him at Leeds because I think he got hooked when he was actually causing them problems. Today I wouldn’t’ve been sympathetic - I would’ve been happy to see Marcal or Sharky subbed on in his place. In saying all that I’d probably start him against Sunderland as he’ll likely have more space away as Sunderland won’t sit back and defend. Against the deep blocks of QPR and Boro, despite the fancy flicks, he’s looked bereft of ideas.

Got into some great positions, really worked hard, just a shame he couldn’t hit a donkey’s arse with a banjo tonight. I really like the lad. I think he’s gonna be another Lookman tho. He’ll end up ripping it up elsewhere 🥺

I’m assuming Always Next Year will be quiet tonight seeing as Verstergaard’s just been absolutely class against Premier League opposition. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

We need Ndidi back. He is key to this side and his absence brings us back to the pack. Statistically we win more when he plays. Without him we don’t have a tackler in midfield.

We’d already established that. It’s all Nike’s fault

He had one last week, skewed a header wide from 3 yards out - it was his hairdressers fault tbf, gave him a sharp 50p trim.

Can’t really blame Daka, have you seen his new Nike boots?

Cheer up Brendan, there’s always next year.

You’ve got to let it go Brendan, it wasn’t Vesty’s fault you got sacked.

I sense that you don’t rate him. It must’ve been difficult having to keep quiet for virtually the whole season whilst he’s been outstanding?

Thought he did alright today, just wish he didn’t turn his back when Gray miss-hit his shot. If he’d faced up he would’ve kicked it away, instead back turned it hits his foot, and deflects off him to Faes and we concede our 2nd double deflection in a matter of weeks.

Unbelievable how some fans turn on Vestergaard after his performances this season. We lost that game because we didn’t finish our easy chances. That swung the momentum in their favour and I’m not sure having seen their goal a few times quite what he was expected to do when the ball was played behind him. He’s been our best player this season, we’ll miss him in the next two games. We haven’t got an alternative that comes near to him as a CB playing out from the back.

Patson with his 50p boots this week, last week it was his 50p head.FFS